Silk Road Assassins - State Of Ruin - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Close to five years since their last record, Leeds denizens Autobahn re-enter the fray with the of their third record, Ecstasy of Ruin. Many of the hallmarks of their characteristic blend of industrial post-punk remain intact, but under the bonnet they're a much leaner, more focused machine. Live drums have given way to drum-machines and sample-based percussion, and with it the band reconfigure their typically blackened aesthetic into a hardened take on Electronic Body Music. As with their previous record, it's an entirely self-produced collection, recorded between two self-built studios on a range of analogue equipment, the ghosts of their industrial forefathers haunting the circuits. Indeed, some of Ecstasy of Ruin was made with pieces salvaged from Martin Hannett's legendary studio. Autobahn certainly feel part of the long tradition of crepuscular music to emanate from Northern Britain, be that the transgressive activities of COUM Transmissions from Hull, Sheffield Steel City or the gothic history of their very own hometown. Ecstasy of Ruin also speaks to right now. No album opens with a song titled 'Post-History' and closes with another called 'Class War' without some concession to the current condition and it's place within it. Industrial music by it's nature is a physical concern, often placing the human body and it's experience in the context of technology, reflecting the varying trevails of late capitalism. Autobahn strive towards some kind of articulation of that conflict. The music is unrelentingly taut and terse, and the vocals of Craig Johnson are invariably intense, though lyrically there are repeated allusions to beauty, empowerment and, ostensibly, hope. As such, the title of the album is an instructive one - there's some kind of bliss in all this mess. Autobahn don't so much push against the pain as ride it out to it's (il)logical ends.1. Post-histo

Looks Can Be Deceiving The Eric Martin Band's sophomore album, Looks Can Be Deceiving, retains the core AOR and melodic rock sound of their 1983 debut, Sucker For A Pretty Face. However, Looks Can Be Deceiving brings a noticeable, grittier hard-rock edge to the songs, foreshadowing Eric Martin's future work in the supergroup Mr. Big.

What if Marco Polo had owned a tape recorder? And what if his epic travels across the heart of Asia had taken place not at the end of the 13th century, but at the beginning of the 21st? The Silk Road A Musical Caravan presents a panoramic sweep of the vast and rich musical territory that an adventurous traveler like Polo might uncover in this vitally important region today. 2-CD, full color booklet with extensive notes, photos, 47 tracks and 146 minutes.